by Angela Glover Blackwell
"Laws and programs designed to benefit vulnerable groups, such as the disabled or people of color, often end up benefiting all of society."
Many accommodations, from a cut in the curb to automatic doors, were created for a specific group of people and benefit everyone in sometimes unexpected ways.
The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning can provide support around Universal Design for Learning.
Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, helps to minimize barriers and maximize learning for all students.
Tips from CETL on making courses more inclusive:
1.) Display content in a variety of ways. Provide images, text, multimedia, and use your creative style to capture the learner’s attention.
2.) Accept a variety of formats from your learners over the duration of your course. Give your students a variety of modalities to prove their command of the subject.
3.) Fuel creativity in your students by allowing them to explore topics in a variety of ways. Encouraging student exploration will add to their engagement.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL): A Teacher’s Guide
DaVinci Pro is a high performance desktop video magnifier (CCTV), featuring a Full HD Sony 1080p 3-in-1 camera and Full Page Text-to-Speech (OCR). View crystal clear images in vibrant color and contrast with the Davinci Pro’s Full HD 1080p Sony® camera. With a high resolution LCD screen you get the maximum picture detail for a clear, bold display. The DaVinci Pro also offers a large field of view allowing you to see more on the screen. DaVinci Pro’s full page OCR allows it to easily read your favorite article or book aloud in a male or female premium voice and in many different languages. When having the DaVinci Pro read to you aloud, you have the option to have it read a full page or select an area of the page to be read. Changing between live image and OCR is simply done with the push of one button. DaVinci Pro’s 3-in-1 Full HD camera allows you to see near, far or a mirror image making the DaVinci Pro the perfect electronic magnifier for any task.
There is an adaptive technology workstation located outside of the Research Center on the 2nd floor of the McQuade Library. This station is loaded with JAWS, ZoomText, Fusion, and Read & Write, and includes a Da Vinci Pro video magnifier/camera with text-to-speech capability.
The Adaptive Technology workstation and software were purchased with grant funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
